Catholic Diocese of Charleston Lists Mansion for $6.25 Million

The house in South Carolina dates back to 1803

The Catholic Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina, put its Broad Street mansion up for sale Tuesday for $6.25 million.

The property has a main house, which is currently set up as office space that was previously used by the Diocese, and a carriage house that is arranged as a residential space for visitors. Between the two buildings, the estate has nearly 11,000 square feet of space.

The property will require renovations in order to be used as a residence, said Debbie Fisher of Handsome Properties, the listing agent for the house. The main house does not currently have a full kitchen, and the layout will need to be reworked, she said.

Once the property is renovated, Ms. Fisher said it could be worth somewhere in the range of $10 million to $12 million, based on its size, quality and location on Broad Street, a main thoroughfare in downtown Charleston known for its historic architecture. The Diocese, she said, “has maintained the property really well.”

The main house has seven bedrooms currently set up as offices and seven half-bathrooms. The carriage house has four bedrooms and three full bathrooms. The carriage house also has two full kitchens.

Sitting on two-thirds of an acre, the property has a large garden and 14 off-street parking spaces, according tothe listing. Ms. Fisher said the lot’s size makes it unique among its neighbors on Broad Street.

The property dates back to 1803 and was renovated in approximately 1900, Ms. Fisher said, and has a number of period details. The main building has a marble facade, a ballroom, parquet floors and crown moldings.

According to the Historic Charleston Foundation, the property is referred to as the Morton Waring House and is named after its original owner. Mr. Waring sold the property in 1811 to Mordecai Cohen, an immigrant from Poland who would become the second wealthiest man in the state.

The property changed hands several more times before the Diocese purchased it in 1957. The Diocese originally converted the single-family house into five residential apartments, Maria A. Aselage, director of the office of media relations for the Diocese, said in an email. The apartments were eventually converted into offices, and the space was used as such until employees transferred to the organization’s new pastoral care center in the Charleston neighborhood of West Ashley.

The Catholic Church selling off its property is nothing new. Last year, the Archdiocese of New York deconsecrated 18 churches, which would make them available for sale or lease. Singer Katy Perry won alegal battle last year that put her one step closer to buying a convent in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.